1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote shooting system that performs remote shooting, and to a camera system that includes: a camera head which is provided with an imaging device and an image-taking optical system; and a camera main unit to which the camera head is detachably attached and which receives and processes image signals transmitted from the camera head.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there are known remote shooting systems each having: an image-taking section that includes a shooting lens and an imaging device and generates image signals representing a subject image; and an operation section for remotely operating the shooting section. In such a remote shooting system, vertical shooting is carried out such that a user gives an instruction for rotating the remote shooting section 90 degrees about a pivot parallel with an optical axis, by operating an operation member included in the operation section.
There is also known a remote shooting system provided with an image-taking apparatus and a host controller for controlling the image-taking apparatus via a communication path. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-94867 discloses this type of system and proposes a technique for changing an icon, which indicates the image-taking apparatus displayed on a display of the host controller, in order to guide user operation according to a shooting mode. This technique allows a user to know a rotation direction that the user is expected to use while holding the image-taking apparatus, by looking at the displayed icon in order to carry out vertical shooting.
Meanwhile, there is proposed a camera system that includes: a camera main unit provided with an image-taking optical system and an imaging device; and a camera head detachably attachable to the camera main unit, and that intends to carry out shooting while maximizing the utilization of a shooting capability of the camera head (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-322021 for example). In this type of camera system, it is convenient if shooting can be carried out regardless of whether the camera head is attached to the camera main unit or not, i.e. it is convenient if shooting can be carried out through remote operation even when the camera head is separated from the camera main unit. Suppose shooting can be carried out through remote operation in this way, it is further convenient if there is provided a panhead for freely adjusting the position of the camera head. In this case, it is possible to carry out not only shooting with the camera head being attached to the camera main unit, but also shooting with the camera head being attached to the panhead, depending on shooting environment.
In order to carry out shooting operation with the camera head being detached from the camera main unit in a manner similar to the shooting operation with the camera head being attached to the camera main unit, it is desirable to enhance the capability of the panhead so that the panhead can be freely movable according to any of operations such as panning, tilting and 90-degree rotation of the body for vertical/horizontal shooting (these operations may be hereinafter referred to as panning operation, tilting operation, and rolling operation or rolling, respectively).
In this regard, there have been devised and proposed various types of panheads so far (see Japanese Patent Application Publications No. 7-294296, No. 7-209700 and No. 11-211474 for example). Techniques disclosed in these documents are used to adjust the position of an image-taking apparatus according to remote operation. These techniques may be adapted to a panhead used to attach the camera head so that the camera head can be freely moved according to any of operations such as panning, tilting and rolling.
However, most of conventional systems including Japanese Patent Application Publications No. 7-294296, No. 7-209700 and No. 11-211474 are such a system that a user can move a camera head by operating an operation member or a user can cause a lens to face in the same direction as eyeglasses, which are worn by the user and serve as a finder, faces. Therefore, it is unlikely that these systems are easy to use when a user carries out panning, tilting or rolling.
Meanwhile, recently, the demand for acceleration sensors, angular-velocity sensors, and magnetic direction sensor has increased along with the spread of navigation systems, and thus these sensors have become inexpensive enough to be mounted on digital cameras. Japanese Patent Application Publications No. 9-322021, No. 7-294296, No. 7-209700 and No. 11-211474 are all employ such a sensor. When an acceleration sensor is employed, it is possible to detect the position or the like of a camera head or a camera main unit. Also, when an acceleration sensor and a magnetic direction sensor are both employed, it is possible to detect the positional changing status of a camera head or a camera main unit when they rotate.
As described above, in conventional remote shooting systems, vertical shooting requires operation through an operation member provided in an operation section or operation through a set-up means provided in a host controller. However, when using an ordinary camera, a user merely needs to rotate a camera main unit to a vertical position so as to carry out vertical shooting. Therefore, it is difficult for a user to carry out vertical shooting smoothly and swiftly in the conventional remote shooting systems, because the user needs to go through the above-described time-consuming operation.